Cincinnati Police Are Investigating Family After Boy Falls Into Gorilla Enclosure

Amid an uproar in Cincinnati after a gorilla was shot dead after dragging around a boy who had slipped into a zoo enclosure, the police said Tuesday that they were investigating the actions of the child’s family in connection with the episode.

As video showing the boy and the huge gorilla continued to be played on television and online, officials raised the possibility on Tuesday of criminal charges. Julie Wilson, a spokeswoman with the Hamilton County prosecutor’s office, said the matter had been referred to the Cincinnati Police Department for investigation.

“At this point, everybody is just looking into it to see what’s going on,” she said. “I can’t tell you that anyone will be charged with anything.”

A police statement released later Tuesday said the department was investigating “the actions of the parents/family that led up to the incident” but was not focusing on “the operation or safety of the Cincinnati Zoo, which is under the purview of the United States Department of Agriculture.”

An animal rights group said on Tuesday that it had filed a negligence complaint against the zoo with the Department of Agriculture.

Zoo officials at first reported the boy’s age as 4. The police statement said officials had verified that the boy was 3.

Lt. Stephen Saunders, a spokesman for the Police Department, said officials would not immediately release the name of the family.

The boy had slipped through the Gorilla World exhibit’s barrier while visiting the zoo with his mother and had fallen into a shallow moat on Saturday afternoon. Videos of the encounter posted to Twitter showed the silverback gorilla dragging him around like a toy, while a woman could be heard calling to the sobbing child: “Mommy loves you! I’m right here.”

After about 10 minutes, zoo workers shot and killed the animal. The boy, who was hurt but not severely, was taken to a hospital and released on Saturday night, zoo officials said.

Thane Maynard, the zoo’s director, has forcefully rejected criticism of the decision to kill the gorilla instead of using a tranquilizer dart. He said at a news conference on Monday that the dart could have caused the animal, capable of crushing a coconut with his hands, to become even more agitated.

“We are all devastated that this tragic accident resulted in the death of a critically endangered gorilla,” Mr. Maynard said.

A statement from the boy’s family, released through a public relations company, said:

“We are so thankful to the Lord that our child is safe. He is home and doing just fine. We extend our heartfelt thanks for the quick action by the Cincinnati Zoo staff. We know that this was a very difficult decision for them, and that they are grieving the loss of their gorilla. We hope that you will respect our privacy at this time.”

The animal rights group Stop Animal Exploitation Now said the zoo had been cited twice recently for problems with its enclosures and facilities. In the negligence complaint it filed with the Department of Agriculture against the zoo, it called for the maximum federal penalty of $10,000 per infraction per animal, it said in a statement.

“The failure of the Cincinnati Zoo to adequately construct this enclosure to protect both the public and the animal held prisoner there is a clear and fatal violation of the Animal Welfare Act,” the group said in its letter to the agriculture department.

Video

The director of the Cincinnati Zoo, Thayne Maynard, said the killing of a silverback gorilla, Harambe, was justified because a child who had fallen into the animal's pen was in serious danger.Published OnMay 30, 2016CreditImage by John Minchillo/Associated Press

The zoo said in a statement after the killing that the boy had climbed through a public barrier at the exhibit. The two female gorillas in the exhibit were successfully recalled, but Harambe stayed in the yard with the child. The video showed the gorilla sometimes standing over the boy in what appeared to be a protective posture, but then darting through the shallow moat, dragging the child behind him.

Mr. Maynard said the child’s head had banged on concrete.

The episode generated widespread reaction, with some people criticizing the zoo, others supporting the mother and online petitions accusing her of negligence. Animal rights supporters organized a vigil outside the zoo in remembrance of the gorilla.

On Tuesday, the Jane Goodall Institute, based in Virginia, released an email that the world-renown primatologist sent to Mr. Maynard on Sunday, expressing sympathy for the “devastating” loss.

“I feel so sorry for you, having to try to defend something which you may well disapprove of,” Dr. Goodall’s email said. “I tried to see exactly what was happening — it looked as though the gorilla was putting an arm around the child — like the female who rescued and returned the child from the Chicago exhibit.

“Anyway, whatever, it is a devastating loss to the zoo, and to the gorillas. How did the others react? Are they allowed to see, and express grief, which seems to be so important.

“Feeling for you.”

On Tuesday, Mr. Trump was asked at a news conference how he felt about the killing of the gorilla. He said: “I think it’s a very tough call. It was amazing because there were moments with the gorilla, the way he held that child, it was almost like a mother holding a baby. Looked so beautiful and calm, and there were moments where it looked pretty dangerous.

“I thought it was so beautiful to watch that powerful, almost 500-pound gorilla, the way he dealt with that little boy, but it just takes one second,” Mr. Trump continued.

“It just takes one little flick of his finger, and I will tell you they probably had no choice.”

Mike McPhate contributed reporting.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A13 of the New York edition with the headline: Police Investigate Family After Rare Gorilla Is Killed. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe